ON THE GROUND
take care of the transport. The company has
invested in a fleet of 18 rough-terrain trucks,
which will supplement its current fleet of
normal road trucks.
“Logistics is a significant part of this project,
and one of the major challenges,” says Faber.
Dealing with the bumpy road
The journey to Walikale and from there to the
mine is bumpy, but rewarding. There is no
doubt that further challenges await the brave
and competent team at Bisie. These challenges
will probably never totally disappear. Investing
in the DRC is a high-risk strategy; building a
mine from scratch in the eastern parts of the
DRC is, well, not for the faint-hearted. The major
risks, says Robinson, are the infrastructure
constraints, political risks, the artisanal
question, and security.
The artisanal issues have been dealt with,
and may be on the back burner. It has become
way too difficult for artisanal miners to get to
the ore body, which outcropped in the past,
but has now been mined out on surface.
The political and security risks remain, as the
Congolese population becomes impatient with
Laurent Kabila’s lethargy and refusal to call new
elections. The biggest question mark, however,
is infrastructure. To get supplies and equipment
in, and product out, will always be a high-risk,
high-cost endeavour, even when the roads are
upgraded.
Nevertheless, Bisie is an exemplary example
of the old proverb, ‘where there is a will there is
a way’. When Kamstra asked Robinson (who is
a local Congolese and at that stage worked for
an NGO) about Bisie four years ago, Robinson
replied that they shouldn’t touch it.
Today, Bisie is less than two years away
from producing conflict-free tin, and Robinson
is employed by Alphamin. Alphamin did many
things right in Walikale. Through Robinson and
Kamstra, they have built strong relationships
with the communities, artisanal miners, and
government representatives. Faber and his
mining team, including the contractors on site,
are the best in the business and familiar with
the operating environment in the eastern parts
of the DRC.
Although there are still isolated reports of
violence every so often, it seems that peace
has returned to Walikale; the guns have gone
silent. The only noise on the hill at Bisie is that
of 300 miners building a mine — possibly the
richest tin mine on earth. A lot has changed for
that mysterious hill at Bisie. It is now a beacon
of hope and a kingpin in the international tin
market. And that, frankly, is enough reason to
tick all the boxes, even if I was one of those
desk-bound, white-knuckled, and sweaty-
palmed punters. ■
Work on the main drive is progressing steadily. Local contractor Relient has been working with the
Bisie team.
Work on the ventilation shaft at Bisie is progressing at a steady rate.
A view of the construction from base camp, on top of the Bisie hill.
FEBRUARY 2018
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